


You Can't Always Get What You Want (But Sometimes You Can)

by FuryRed



Series: Heart and Soul [4]
Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies), X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Still Have Powers, Charles Xavier has a Ph.D in Adorable, Domestic Fluff, Erik Has Feelings, Established Relationship, Give the Boys a Pet Already, Idiots in Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-17
Updated: 2017-06-17
Packaged: 2018-11-15 05:42:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11224515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FuryRed/pseuds/FuryRed
Summary: Charles rarely asks for what he wants, but that doesn’t mean Erik isn’t paying attention and looking for the signs. The only problem is- what to do when the thing Charles wants is something he cannot have?Basically, some cutesy sweet domestic Cherik. With a cat.





	You Can't Always Get What You Want (But Sometimes You Can)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pinkoptics](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkoptics/gifts).



 

 

Erik does not like disappointing Charles.

It’s a strange realisation, given how much of their earlier involvement with each other was made up of bitterness and harsh words, but over time Erik has come to treasure the joy in Charles’ happiness, most evident in the brightness of his eyes and the small upturn at the corner of his mouth. Occasionally Charles’ contentment is more boldly displayed, like in the moments when Charles will lean into Erik’s body and smile widely up at him, like there is nowhere he would rather be and no one he would rather be with. Those moments are like a quiet sunrise- something understated but beautiful, something powerful but unassuming- and Erik finds himself warmed by each one as he absorbs every bit of affection Charles can give.

The days when Charles’ expression grows sad and despondent are like clouds spoiling a beautiful sky, and increasingly Erik finds himself doing all he can to keep Charles happy. Most of the time it’s not a difficult task- Charles never asks for much, and more often than not he is content just to have the most basic comforts in life, like a warm cup of tea, a good book, and someone to curl up with at night. Nevertheless, sometimes Charles- like anyone- will want for things he cannot have, and there is little Erik can do to help him. Though Erik tries in his own way to keep Charles happy, he is only one man, and he can only give so much.

Still, there are certain things Erik is more than happy to give, things he knows Charles likes, things he knows will make Charles happy. Well, _usually_ …

One of Erik’s favourite ways of pleasing Charles is sex. It’s to be expected, given it is a mutually beneficial arrangement, but sometimes rather than pursue their joint pleasure, Erik will focus on Charles’ enjoyment exclusively, and increasingly he finds he is more than happy to spend ages with his head buried in-between Charles’ legs, making him writhe and shake apart, until the bedsheets are damp with sweat and he is _begging_ to come.

Erik is just gearing himself up for one such session one afternoon when he is interrupted by something unexpected. Erik has spent a leisurely several minutes slowly stripping Charles, edging his clothing off and pressing loving kisses to his skin, stroking his cock until it is hard and warm in his hand, until Erik is ready to lie down and slide his lips around it, and as Erik trails his mouth up the length of Charles’ shaft he expects many things- a moan, a shudder, an emphatic “YES” of approval. Instead he gets… a sigh.

Erik leans back and looks up at Charles in confusion, wondering what he has done wrong and finding himself suddenly crestfallen by the faraway look in Charles’ eyes as he stares up at the ceiling. But then Charles seems to remember where he is, as he gives a little shake of his head along with a quiet “Oh!” of surprise, and he props himself up on his elbows to look at Erik.

“Darling- I’m sorry. I just got distracted for a minute there, please forgive me”.

There is unease in the pit of Erik’s stomach, and as he asks Charles: “Distracted by what?” he can’t help but fear all the responses that his question might prompt. As it turns out though, the answer is nothing like what Erik has been imagining.

“Oh, it’s silly really… I was just… I was just thinking about that cat again”.

The breath Erik has been holding leaves his lips in a long sigh, and in that moment he crawls up the bed to be closer to Charles, so that he can lie beside him and stroke his fingers through Charles’ hair.

Perhaps Erik should have seen this coming. Since Charles rescued a small kitten from being tortured by a group of boys a couple of weeks ago not a day has passed when Charles hasn’t mentioned it, or seemed like he was thinking about it. The cat is fine- she survived the unfortunate incident relatively unharmed- but since being treated by the vets she has been living at an animal shelter, one that Erik knows Charles checks the website of daily, just hoping someone has adopted the poor kitty.

“It’s just such a shame…” Charles says sadly as Erik brushes an errant lock of brown hair back from his forehead. “After everything she has been through she deserves a nice, loving home, but no one seems to want her”.

“Liebling, it might take time”, Erik responds softly. “It’s only been a couple of weeks. I’m sure someone will adopt her”.

“I know, I know. I just wish…”

The end of the sentence is left unsaid, but Erik knows what is anyway. Even without it being explicitly uttered Erik knows what Charles really wants, what he cannot have.

“Charles…” Erik says gently. “Schatz, you know you can’t take her in. We’re not allowed to have pets in the dorm rooms”.

At that Charles rolls closer to Erik, pressing his face into Erik’s shoulder and wrapping his arm around Erik’s waist.

“Yes, I know that too. It’s just sad, is all”.

It is, but it is unavoidable too. More than anything Erik wants to find some way to make Charles happy, but there is little he can do, little more than hold Charles and smooth his hands up and down Charles’ back, and hope that it is enough.

It usually is, and after a few moments of quiet contemplation Charles seems to shake off his troubles, and he lifts his head from Erik’s shoulder and moves to kiss him. The intimacy Erik planned with Charles ends up taking a different turn after that, less to do with fucking Charles into a shivery aroused state, and more to do with holding him close and kissing him softly as they make love. Erik doesn’t mind. Whatever he can do to make Charles happy is worth it, and though it may not set aside Charles’ preoccupations forever, if it can for a time then that’s an achievement in itself.

Still, it’s no surprise that, as they lie together afterwards, limbs and bodies still hopelessly intertwined, there is another soft sigh from Charles, breathed into the crook of Erik’s neck from where Charles’ mouth is pressed. Erik tilts his head to place a kiss to Charles’ shoulder, trailing his mouth along the smattering of brown freckles there like flecks of brown paint, and once again beginning to smooth his hands comfortingly up and down Charles’ back as he holds him.

“It will be alright, Liebling…”

The huff against Erik’s neck is uncharacteristic of Charles, but Erik supposes he is entitled to moments of petulance every now and then- god knows Erik has had enough of them over the course of their relationship. Still, the moment only lingers for a few seconds before Charles lets out another sigh and turns his head to press his mouth just behind Erik’s ear.

“Sorry, darling, I know- you’re right. I just… I just can’t help but _feel_ for the poor cat. It’s not her fault that nobody wants her just because she’s a mutant”.

At Charles’ words Erik immediately startles, grasping Charles’ head with both hands and manoeuvring him gently so he can look into Charles’ eyes.

“A _what_?”

Charles shrugs in response. “It’s perhaps a rather simplistic way of looking at things, but that’s what she is. Polydactylism in cats is about as common as the level of mutations we are seeing in the human population, and whilst having extra toes is rather more tame than having blue skin for example, to some people both characteristics are equally undesirable. I’m not saying that’s why no one has adopted the cat, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a concern of mine”.

“You really think people would overlook her just because she’s different?”

Charles smiles, but the expression is sad. “Erik, come on- you know what the world is like… Though society as a whole may have come so far when it comes to accepting mutations, there’s still a long way to go. And if you were going to adopt a cat and you were faced with a standard cat and one that is- to put it unkindly- _deformed_ , which would you choose?”

“I’d choose the mutant”, Erik replies without missing a beat.

At that, Charles’ smile becomes genuine, and he leans close to place a kiss to Erik’s nose.

“Well, darling- that’s because you’re wonderful. I’d choose the mutant too. Now we just need to hope that there are other like-minded people out there, and that they’re in a better position than us to take on a furry new houseguest”.

With the conversation seemingly concluded Charles lays his head down upon Erik’s chest, smoothing the palm of his hand along Erik’s side as he closes his eyes and hums happily. Erik knows really that they need to get up and get cleaned off and ready for bed, that if he leaves Charles where he is it won’t be long before he is asleep, and Erik will be faced with practically manhandling a groggy Charles into the bathroom. But for a while such practicalities are the furthest thing from Erik’s mind. What Charles had said is resonating- urgent thoughts surging through Erik’s mind, pushing aside all others.

Eventually Erik manages to pull himself together, and Charles is fortunately not too sleepy by the time he stumbles into the bathroom to get ready for bed. But whilst he may not realise it Charles has stirred something in Erik, something that he cannot ignore, and that night as he listens to Charles sleeping soundly beside himself, an idea begins to formulate. It might not be a good idea- Erik’s ideas rarely are- but, well, it seems like the right thing to do.

 

Erik knows that Charles does not like being woken up, that it usually takes him twenty minutes and two cups of tea to become sentient and awake each morning, which is why Erik has one on standby as he sits on the side of the bed and gently shakes Charles awake.

“Wuh…” Charles mumbles as Erik squeezes his shoulder. “Erik, what-- Ugh, what time is it?”

“A little after eight”.

“Good god Erik, it’s Saturday!” Charles protests, dramatically rolling over in bed and starting to try and burrow his head under the pillows, until Erik removes them and Charles lets out a whine of protest.

“Erik, whyyyyyy?” Charles moans, pouting as he makes a half-hearted attempt to reach for the pillow as Erik takes it away.

“We have to go somewhere”, Erik replies, watching as Charles seems to slowly reach full consciousness. He blearily rubs his eyes as he sits up in bed, and when he fully focuses on Erik sitting on the bed beside him, already dressed and seizing a takeaway cup of tea, he seems to snap back to reality.

“What’s wrong?” Charles asks.

Erik still finds it remarkable that, given the scope of Charles’ telepathy and how much he can just know without asking, he still allows others the freedom of their own secrets, and seemingly respects their boundaries by not prying. The courtesy and kindness extended by Charles is one of the things Erik loves most about him. In truth, Erik can’t help but consider it a gift that someone with such an incredible ability is also so kind, as he knows only too well the damage that can be done when someone truly evil wields that kind of power.

“It’s nothing to worry about, Liebling”, Erik replies, giving Charles what he hopes is a reassuring smile. “Just… trust me?”

Barely a second passes before Charles replies: “Alright” and makes a move to leave the bed. Well, he reaches for the tea before he reaches for his clothes, but Erik at least allows him a few gulps before he takes the drink away and motions for Charles to get ready.

 

Twenty minutes later they are sat in the car travelling into the city, and though Charles is clearly still curious about what they are doing, he is evidently respectful enough not to pry. Instead he sits in the passenger seat looking out of the window thoughtfully, clutching his cup of tea and taking frequent sips.

Erik can almost pinpoint the exact moment that Charles realises where they are going, as his expression clouds and he sighs quietly.

“Erik… I told you I didn’t want to visit her anymore- it’s too hard”.

As Erik looks over at where Charles sits in the passenger seat his heart clenches painfully at the sight of Charles so forlorn, and though he wants to end Charles’ misery there and then he knows that it will be worth it to wait, and so he simply keeps quiet and continues to drive.

When they reach the animal shelter Charles immediately jumps out, as if, though he expressed reluctance at being here, he has adjusted quickly to the idea. But as Charles dumps his empty cup in a nearby bin and begins to walk off down the pavement towards the building, Erik hurries forward and grabs his hand, pulling Charles back round to the rear of the car.

“Erik, what?” Charles asks as he follows Erik, coming to stand at the back of the car and watching as Erik unlocks the boot with a flick of his fingers.

“We can’t go in yet. We need some supplies first”.

“Supplies? Erik, I don’t underst--” Charles starts, but his words quickly fade to nothing as Erik lifts the backdoor of the car, and Charles sees what’s inside.

Though Erik knows he should perhaps feel a little bit guilty at having broken into a pet store at five in the morning, he tells himself that it’s _technically_ not breaking and entering if he used his powers to unlock the doors and left money behind to pay for the goods he took. Besides, it will be worth it to see the look on Charles’ face when he realises what’s happening. At least, that’s what Erik told himself at the time, but now the moment is here Charles doesn’t look thrilled like Erik expected, he looks even sadder somehow.

“Erik…” Charles says softly, swallowing hard as he stares at the cat carrier in the boot of the car. “Erik, this is… This is such a lovely gesture, but you know I can’t adopt her”.

Definitely not the response Erik was hoping for.

“But… but why not?”

Charles turns to look at Erik at last. “Because I don’t have a home to give her. I live in a single room, and we’re not allowed to have pets. You told me yourself that I couldn’t take her in, remember?”

“Yes, but… But what you said about no one wanting her because she’s a mutant. It’s not true, is it? _You_ want her, and I think you should have her”.

“I _can’t_. If people find out she’s in my room they’ll take her away from me”.

“No”, Erik replies, shaking his head. “No, Charles- not if you don’t let them. You can use your telepathy to make sure they never find out she’s there”.

“I can’t do that…”

“Yes, you can”, Erik counters, stepping forward and cupping Charles’ face in both hands. Charles whines like he’s wanting to protest, but he stills as Erik leans close to kiss him, murmuring softly against Erik’s lips as their mouths meet. When Erik has finished kissing Charles he leans back, but continues to hold Charles’ face in his hands as he gently strokes his thumbs against Charles’ jawline.

“Liebling, you are the most kind, generous, selfless person I have ever met. I know you don’t like using your powers for what you consider to be selfish reasons, but this is a good cause. This cat needs you, and I know you could give her an amazing home. Please, Charles- just take her in. Take care of her, like you do for me…”

With Erik’s words Charles’ resigned expression falters, all moralistic resolve failing in the wake of Erik’s pleading, and Erik knows Charles is close to agreeing when the corners of his mouth start to upturn slightly.

“This is a bad idea…” Charles smiles. “It’s a wonderful, bad idea…”

“Almost everything I do usually is”, Erik agrees. “But you know I’m right”.

“Maybe…”

“Maybe meaning definitely?” Erik smirks, bringing his mouth close to Charles’ once more.

“Maybe meaning probably…” Charles replies, slipping into a sincere smile as Erik grins in victory and kisses Charles once more.

 

After Charles has agreed at last, Erik finally has the excited response he had been hoping for. Charles eagerly collects the cat basket from the boot of the car and practically runs towards the animal shelter, whilst Erik merely smiles to himself and follows faithfully behind.

The next half hour or so prompts some of the most excited behaviour Erik has ever seen in Charles. He practically shakes with enthusiastic joy as they enter the animal shelter, as they confirm they are there to adopt the cat, as Charles runs off down the corridor to where he knows she is waiting. Even if it is a bad idea like Charles said Erik knows that it is worth it to see the look of pure delight on Charles’ face as the cage is opened and the small orange kitten inside sticks her head out to greet him, meowing happily as Charles scoops her up and cradles her in his arms. The two of them remain like that for the rest of the visit, even whilst they fill out paperwork, and Erik only manages to persuade Charles to deposit the kitty in her box when it is finally time to go back outside.

Of course, Charles continues to keep the cat close on the drive back to the university, not placing the cat carrier in the backseat like Erik suggested, but instead placing it on his lap so he can hold the box up to the window as Erik drives to give the cat some sort of narration about where she is and where they’re going. It’s so sickly sweet but adorable, and Erik finds it very hard to concentrate on the road instead of being hopelessly distracted by the happy chattering coming from the passenger seat.

Despite his earlier trepidation, Charles shows no nerves whatsoever as he carries the cat case into the dormitory, as Erik gathers the other items he acquired from the boot and takes them with him. Erik is barely inside the door of Charles’ room before Charles is sitting down cross-legged on the floor and opening the box, offering gentle encouragement as he coaxes the kitty out, and immediately scooping her up into a big hug when she finally comes out.

Normally on a Saturday Erik favours going for a jog, getting a coffee off-campus, reading, practicing his metalwork, and meeting his friends for a drink in the pub above all else. However, on this occasion, Erik finds that he spends the entire day just sitting on Charles’ bed, watching as Charles plays with his furry new friend. The toys that Erik purchased earlier prove to be endlessly amusing to the small kitten, though her favourite is clearly the small metal mouse that Erik crafted earlier that morning, one that has a chime inside that makes a quiet jingling sound every time she bats it around with her large paws.

But whilst Erik is just content to watch the fun happening, he soon finds that he cannot stay out of it for long. First Erik’s shoelaces take a beating, something that he tries to scowl at even if a small part of him finds it adorable, and then the kitten apparently decides that Erik’s lap is just about her favourite place to be, and she quickly sets up home there whilst Erik grumbles about not being able to move his legs and Charles smiles at Erik in that wide, goofy way he does sometimes. The moment at least provides Charles with a break from the excitement and, after leaning close to press a heartfelt kiss to Erik’s forehead, he quietly leaves the room in search of something to eat.

When Charles returns Erik is holding one of his hands up to the cat sprawled in his lap, opening and closing his fingers as the kitten bats at him with her overly large paws. Erik doesn’t even realise how many minutes he’s been doing the same thing, how much he’s grinning like an idiot, how long Charles has been standing in the doorway watching… But then there is a soft sigh from Charles, but one of contentment rather than the disappointed sighs of before, and Erik looks up to find Charles looking at him with an expression of quiet satisfaction on his face.

Erik can’t help but blush a little as Charles wanders slowly over to the bed, a plate of toast in one hand and two cups artfully balanced in the other. He takes a seat next to Erik on the bed and passes him one of the cups, smiling happily as Erik returns the expression, and the cat purrs happily in Erik’s lap.

The kitten remains in place as Erik and Charles eat their breakfast, sleeping soundly as Charles gently rubs her head in-between bites of toast.

“We need a name for her”, Charles says eventually, shoving another slice into his mouth. “But I can’t think of anything that suits her”.

Erik looks thoughtfully down at the cat sleeping in his lap, before glancing back up at Charles. Charles is staring at the cat too, completely preoccupied as usual, and apparently unaware of the fact that he’s managed to smear part of his breakfast over his face…

“Marmalade…” Erik says softly, reaching over to wipe away the blob of orange preserve that is lingering in the corner of Charles’ mouth.

“What? Oh, thanks, love”, Charles replies, leaning over to the bedside table to get a tissue and using it to wipe his face. After he has cleaned himself off he screws up the tissue in his hand, looking like he is about to throw it into the nearby wastepaper bin, but before he throws it he stops and turns towards Erik.

“Marmalade”.

“Huh?” Erik says.

“Marmalade”, Charles says again, looking down at the cat in Erik’s lap, and smiling as she stirs and lets out a happy yowl.

Erik nods. “Marmalade”, he agrees, smiling as Charles leans over to kiss him.


End file.
